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For the first time since Adkins’s death, her family came face to face with the man who confessed to killing her. They learned the prosecution will seek the death penalty.

“He turned around and looked at me. He looked at both of us, and I'm glad that he did, because I wanted him to know that she wasn't just an invisible person that he killed arbitrarily, that he killed someone we loved,” Yancey said.

Politi, 39, has a violent history of assault. Police said he brutally raped Adkins, 45, with a sexual device and then strangled her to death as she screamed for help.

Her family made their first trip to Louisville to be at Monday’s pretrial hearing.

“Edwina was more than just a file. She's more than just a case; she's a person. She is a loved one, and we love her very much, so we wanted to make sure that Politi understood that she had a family -- as well as [make sure] the court [understands that]," ,” Yancey said.

“I tried to think of all the videos I've seen of him, but seeing him in person, it's a whole different feeling, and looking at him, I couldn't believe it,” said Adkins’ mother, Gloria Lewis.

During his July hearing, Politi's attorney filed a motion for the case to be dismissed, which the judge denied.

While Monday's hearing only lasted less than two minutes, there was a new development. Prosecutors announced they had decided to seek the death penalty against Politi.

Politi has spent more than half of his life in prison on two other rape and assault charges.

He'll be back in court in October, when lawyers on both sides hope to set a date for his trial.